Handling apparatus for foldable cartons

ABSTRACT

An automatic carton handling apparatus for erecting foldable cartons and positioning them adjacent to a packing machine of the kind which loads the cartons while they are resting on their side panels. The apparatus includes a feed magazine which feeds carton blanks from a stack to a loading station disposed below it, a reciprocating carriage for moving carton blanks from the loading station to a forming station, an opening mechanism for forming the cases into an essentially rectangular tubular configuration, pivotable arms for closing the bottom end flaps, rectilinear arms for closing the bottom side flaps, and a retractable pusher arm associated with the carriage for transferring the opened case from the forming station to a packing station. Included at the forming station is an arm for opening the leading top end flap of the opened carton and a flap flange for maintaining the flap in its opened position. The packing station has associated with it a pivoting carton positioning arm which pushes the opened carton against an end stop, an angular flanged packing horn, carton transfer arms for pushing the opened carton off the carriage onto the packing horn and a lowering arm which contacts the bottom of the carton on the packing horn and lowers the carton after it has been filled, to place the carton in an upright position on a conveyor. The apparatus is synchronized to sequentially feed the cartons in a downstream manner so that the cartons are opened, packed with canned goods, and moved downstream.

United States Patent [1 1 Berney [451 July 24, 1973 HANDLING APPARATUSFOR FOLDABLE CARTONS [76] Inventor: Joseph C. Berney, 2700 Peterson Way228, Costa Mesa, Calif. 92626 [22] Filed: Sept. 8, 1970 [21] Appl. No.:70,566

[52] [1.8. CI. 93/53 R, 53/186 [51] Int. Cl B3lb H80 [58] Field ofSearch 53/186, 374, 381,

53/382; 93/36 SO, 53 R, 53 SD [56] References Cited UNITED STATESPATENTS 3,323,283 6/1967 1 Johnson, Jr. et al 53/186 2,027,946 1/1936Wild 53/381 R X 3,295,294 1/1967 Galloway 53/186 X 3,420,036 1/1969Hutchinson. 53/186 3,237,364 3/1966 Mack 53/381 R X 2,206,279 7/1940Ferguson..... 53/381 R X 2,280,773 4/1942 Ferguson 53/186 X 2,612,82310/1952 Woelfer 53/186 X 3,537,361 11/1970 Derderian et al.. 53/186 X3,412,652 11/1968 McIntyre 53/186 X 2,831,407 4/1958 Pittman et al.53/186 X Primary Examiner-Andrew R. Juhasz Assistant Examiner-Horace M.Culver Attorney-Fowler, Knobbe & Martens [5 7.] ABSTRACT An automaticcarton handling apparatus for erecting foldable cartons and positioningthem adjacent to a packing machine of the kind which loads the cartonswhile they are resting on their side panels. The apparatus includes afeed magazine which feeds carton blanks from a stack to a loadingstation disposed below it, a reciprocating carriage for moving cartonblanks from the loading station to a forming station, an openingmechanism for forming the cases into an essentially rectangular tubularconfiguration, pivotable arms for closing the bottom end flaps,rectilinear arms for closing the bottom side flaps, and a retractablepusher arm associated with the carriage for transferring the opened casefrom the forming station to a packing station. Included at the formingstation is an arm for opening the leading top end flap of the openedcarton and a flap flange for maintaining the flap in its openedposition. The packing station has-associated with it a pivoting cartonpositioning arm which pushes the opened carton against an end stop, anangular flanged packing horn, carton transfer arms for pushing theopened carton off the carriage onto the packing horn and a lowering armwhich contacts the bottom of the carton on the packing horn and lowersthe carton after it has been filled, to place the carton in an uprightposition on a conveyor. The apparatus is synchronized to sequentiallyfeed the cartons in a downstream manner so that the cartons are opened,

packed with canned goods, and moved downstream.

6 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures PATENTEU M2419 SHEET 02 [IF PATiminJumlszaSHEET 0 3 0F III- VII! 5 PATENTED JUL 2 4 I875 SHEET OR [IF PATENTEBJvl24'973 SHEET 08 HF PATENIED JUL24|973 SHEET 070% 10 PAIENIEnJumma sumOSUF 1o PATENIEU sum 10 0F m. w u M w w w M w w m M i h I 7% m HF M13 W4 w w mm: mm: 7

m Uw M n m w m M 5W A--- y T W M w m 5 m M n mm Mm m z -1 ME by -i m w aw a m M a h J m MUT w m x i1? m 1 vlI;||T1I||| lllll l mv mwlllllll lllllllllllTllilrljllllij 1 I Hw 1IMMHHNHwN W 1: 1 W w E mil 0 0 l .A 1 w ww M w M w m a W a 5 HANDLING APPARATUS FOR FOLDABLE CARTONS BACKGROUNDOF THE INVENTION This invention relates to apparatus for setting upfoldable cartons and more particularly to an apparatus for openingflattened foldable shipping container carton blanks into a rectangularshape and, where desired, folding their bottom flaps to a closedposition. Additionally the apparatus transfers the opened cartons to aposition where they are packed with canned goods and then transferred toa downstream position for further operation suchas closing and sealing.

Conventional folding shipping containers of the rectangular four-flaptype are typically manufactured from a single piece of cardboard,corrugated board, or the like, cut into a predetermined pattern andprovided with indented fold lines to facilitate the folding into arectangular case or carton, the term carton being used herein todesignate a case of this type. The manufacturer usually folds thecardboard pattern once to bring two opposite edges together and thenjoins these two edges, such as with a strip of adhesive tape, forexample, to form what is commonly known as a manufacturer's joint. Whenthe carton is set up for use, the manufacturers joint is at a cornerdefined by the meeting of an end and a side of the carton. The cartonsare shipped in this compact folded form commonly known in the art as theknocked down" condition of the carton. These are also known as cartonblanks. Each carton must be set up by opening it to a rectangular shapeand then folding the bottom flaps inwardly to a closed position. Theopened cartons are then typically moved out to a conveyor to supplydownstream packing stations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to animproved carton set up apparatus which may be automatically coordinatedwith a packing machine for higher operating speeds.

The provision of an improved packing station and the combination of sucha packing station with the improved carton set upapparatus are alsodisclosed but are not claimed as part of the present invention. Theyare, instead disclosed and claimed in my co-pending application, Ser.No. 70,460, filed on even date herewith, entitled IMPROVED PACKINGSTATION FOR FOLDABLE CARTON HANDLING APPARATUS. Toward these ends, theapparatus has a feeder mechanism where a plurality of horizontallydisposed carton blanks are maintained in a vertical stack and acarriage, mounted for reciprocating movement, shuttles back and forth totransfer the bottom carton blank from a loading station under the stackto a forming station where it is opened and its bottom flaps are closed.The opened carton is then transferred downstream to a packing stationwhere the opened carton is placed on a packing horn located to the rearof the packing station.

In accordance with an aspect of the invention, vacuum cups at theforming station grip the upper side panel and lift it while restrainingfingers, aligned with slots between the flaps on the upper side panel,act to partially restrain the bottom side panel. A break plate at theupstream end of the forming station strikes the trailing end panel ofthe carton blank as the upper side panel is being lifted so that, whenthe cups are fully withdrawn, the case is forced into a rectangulartubular configuration resting on its lower side panel, with itslowermost flaps facing toward the front of the forming station. Bottomend flap closing arms positioned adjacent to their respective flaps havecamming surfaces which pivot in and close the bottom end flaps, whilebottom side flap closing members, one disposed above and one below theirrespective flaps, move rectilinearly to partially close the bottom sideflaps.

After forming of the carton, transfer to a subsequent station, shownherein as a packing station is automatically accomplished by a pusherarm which is integrally mounted on the carriage and which engages therear panel of the formed carton in the forming station and moves thecarton to the packing station at the same time that the carriage movesanother carton blank into the forming station from the loading station.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention and itsadvantages will be more clearly understood with reference to thefollowing description of a preferred embodiment thereof taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of the carton handling apparatus with astack of carton blanks in the feeder;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus with carton blanks in the feeder;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view on the centerline of the carton transfercarriage;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of FIG. 2 with an openedcarton in the forming station;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6-6 of FIG. 2 with a case in theforming station; I

FIG. 7 is a sectional view on the same line of FIG. 6 just after thecase has been moved into the packing station and onto the horn;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view on the same line as FIG. 5 but after theflaps are closed;

FIG. 9 is a partial view of the top leading flap opening mechanism andthe flap flange mechanism for holding the flap open, with the upperportion of the structure stripped away;

FIG. 10 is a partial pictorial view of the carton after transfer ontothe packing horn with the lowering arm in its upward position;

FIG. 11 is a pictorial view of the packing horn and the associatedcarton lowering arm;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of the hinged lip of the packing horn on theline l2-12 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the working parts of the apparatus withthe structure stripped away; and

FIG. 14 is a schematic of the preferred control circuit.

In order to facilitate the understanding of the apparatus which isillustrated herein, there will first be given a general description ofthe entire apparatus followed by a detailed description of the structureof the apparatus so as to highlight those features of the inventionwhich reside therein. Finally, in connection with the operation of theapparatus there will be described a pneumatic and electrical controlsystem whereby all apparatus operations are carried out continuously andautomatically.

STRUCTURE AND OPERATION OF AN EXEMPLARY APPARATUS INCORPORATING FEATURESOF THE INVENTION 1. In General The drawings show several views of apreferred embodiment of the foldable carton handling apparatus utilizingthe present invention. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, for ease ofexplanation the apparatus may be functionally divided into a loadingstation 20, a forming station 22, and a packing station 24.

The various mechanisms of the exemplary apparatus associated with theloading station 20 and the forming station 22 are supported in theirdesired relationship by a box-shaped framework, generally indicated bythe reference numeral 26, as can best be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 of thedrawings. The framework 26 is defined by four vertically oriented legmembers 28, between which four support beams 30 extend longitudinally.Six transverse braces 32, three on top and three on the bottom, completethe framework 26. To provide additional support and to serve as themounting means for mechanisms associated with the forming station, twoposts 27 (rear and front) extend between the upper and lower beams 30 inthe vicinity of the center braces 32. To give support for the mechanismsassociated with the packing station 24, the top support beams 30 areeach provided with an extension 34. Rigidity is assured by a cross-brace36 extending between the two extensions 34.

A case hopper 38 disposed above the loading station 20 acts as areceptacle for the folded carton blanks which are transferred by areciprocating carriage 40 from the loading station 20 to the formingstation 22 (shown in FIGS. 3 and 4) where they are opened and theirflaps are closed, the carriage additionally acting to transfer theopened cartons from the forming station 22 to the packing station 24 sothe opened cartons may be placed'on a packing horn 132 and goods placedtherein.

2. In Detail a. Case Hopper Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the means formaintaining a plurality of horizontally disposed carton blanks in avertical stack is provided by the case hopper 38. In order that thecarton blanks may nestle within the case hopper 38 to be forced bygravity to the loading station 20 disposed directly below, the hopper iscomprised of four vertically oriented staves 42 attached to the frame 26so that the inner surfaces of each stave contacts one of the fourcorners of the carton blank, insuring a uniformly squared stack. Forease in placing additional carton blanks in the case hopper 28, thestaves 42 are split a small distance down from their tops and bentoutwardly so as to provide for a funnel-shaped entrance.

Maintaining the top of the staves 42 are support brackets 44 adjustablymounted on rails 46 which extend between the top beams 30, theadjustment being provided in order that carton blanks of varying lengthsand widths may be used with the apparatus. Referring to FIG. 3, eachstave 42 is attached at its bottom to, and is stiffened by, a fasteningplate 48 which is in turn adjustably mounted to one of the bottomtransverse braces 32. As the carton blanks are transferred from theloading station 20 under the feeder mechanism 38 to the forming station22, they are partially supported by a pair of guide brackets 50 whichpass from under the feeder mechanism into the forming station, thebrackets being attached under the staves 42 to a pair of side beams 51extending the length of the loading station and the forming station.

Since it is desired that only one carton blank be transferred from thefeeder mechanism 38 upon movement of the reciprocating carriage 40, twothroat guides 52 are adjustably mounted to the downstream staves,defining a throat opening of variable width which, in addition toinsuring transfer of only one carton at a time, allows the use of cartonblanks of varying weight and thickness.

From the above description it can be seen that the carton blanks areguided by the staves 42 and urged by gravity toward the bottom of thefeeder mechanism 38 so as to be presented at the loading station 20 in aposition where a single carton blank may be transferred to the formingstation 22 by the reciprocating carriage 40. b. Carton Transfer CarriageAs alluded to above, the carton transfer means is a carriage 40 whichfunctions to shuttle back and forth between the loading station 20 andthe forming station 22, carrying a carton blank each time it movesforward. To this end the carriage 40 is mounted for reciprocating motionunder the feeder mechanism 38 so that its rear portion extends under thefeeder mechanism and its forward portion extends into the formingstation 22. With reference to FIG. 3, the bottom panels of the cartonblanks contact a carriage bed 54 which moves on rollers 56 in a pair oftracks 58 mounted on the frame 26, the movement being initiated by atwo-way air actuated carton transfer cylinder 60.

The tracks 58 are formed by apair of upright rails 62 extending parallelto the side beams 51 and mounted on base plates 64 attached to thebottom braces 32 to permit transverse adjustment between the staves 42.Each of the upright rails 62 carries a pair of rods 66 with rectangularcross-section, spaced apart sufficiently to accommodate the rollers 56.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the supporting portion of the carriage bed54 is a downwardly extending channelshaped-iron 68, to the outside ofwhich are fastened the rollers 56 to support the carriage bed within thetracks 58. The rear portion of the carriage bed 54 which extends underthe loading station 20, in addition to acting as a support for thecarton blank, has an anchor plate 70 at its upstream edge whichprotrudes sufficiently above the level of the carriage bed to contactthe trailing edge of a carton blank, causing it to be shifted downstreamwith the carriage bed 54. The anchor plate 70 is beveled at its rearedge so that, when the carriage bed 54 is retracted under the cartonblanks in the feeder mechanism 38, the anchor plate will pass under themwithout catching.

Since a second function of the carriage 40 is to transfer an openedcarton from the forming station 22 to the packing station 24, means areprovided intermediate the carriage ends for engaging a formed carton,shown in FIGS. 4 and 13 as a latch-type pusher arm 72 which is insertedinto the carriage bed 54 through a slot 74 and secured by a bushing 76which is journaled to the channel 68. A cross piece 73 is attached tothe outer end of the pusher arm 72 so as to provide a larger pushingsurface against the rear panel of the opened carton. Since the carriage40 retracts while an open carton is in the forming station 22, thepusher arm 72 must be free to turn downward to cam under the openedcarton and then to assume its original upward position to transferanother opened carton. This is accomplished by a spring 78 around thebushing 76, with the spring being compressed between the bottom of thecarriage bed 54 and a plate 80, attached beneath the bushing, to biasthe pusher arm 72 into its upward position. To insure that thesupporting portion of the carriage bed 54 is at least level with thecrosspiece 73 when the latter is in its cammed-down position, a rearsupport plate 82 is attached to the carriage bed 54 just forward of theanchor plate 70 but of slightly less thickness so the anchor plate stillmay contact a carton blank. A forward support plate 84 is attached aheadof the pusherarm to maintain the height of the carriage bed 54 uniform.

The air cylinder 60 which causes the reciprocating movement of thecarriage 40 is attached under the carriage bed 54 on the base plate 64,with its shaft 86 connected to the carriage bed through a bushing 88 andan L-shaped bracket 90 so that the shaft, as it extends and retracts,will move the carriage with it. c. Forming Station Referring again toFIGS. 1 and 2, as the unopened carton blanks are transferred to theforming station 22, they are positioned essentially by the length oftravel of the carriage 40, but a stop block 92 is attached near thedownstream end of the forming station so as to contact the forward edgeof the carton blank and insure that it does not move too far into theforming station.

1. Carton Opening Mechanism Referring to FIGS. 2, 5, 6, and 7, the meansfor opening the carton is provided by a pair of vacuum cups 94 which aremounted inthe forming station 22 so as to vertically descend and gripthe top panel of the carton blank and to withdraw and open it. The cups94 are attached to a leaf-shaped member 96 which is guided in itsvertical up and down motion by guide rods 98 inserted, through guidebushings 100 supported by a mounting plate 102 extending between a pairof rails 104 which are fastened between the top support beams 30. Themounting plate -102 is adjustable so that the center line of the platemay be made to correspond with the center line of the carriage bed 54 inorder to accommodate different, size cartons. The vacuum for gripping issupplied to the cups 94 through a pair of' hollow rods 106.

Vertical motion of the cups 94 is accomplished through the use of atwo-way air cylinder 108 vertically attached between the guide rods 98so that its shaft 110 may be connected to the leaf-shaped member 96, thecups 94 then descending and withdrawing upon extension and retraction ofthe shaft.

With reference to FIGS. 1, 6, and 7, as the upper side panel is beinglifted, means at the forming station for striking the trailing end panelof the. carton blank are provided by an angular break plate 111installed at the upstream end of the forming station 22 between theposts 27. The striking of the trailing end of the carton as the cups 94move upward assist in forming the carton into a rectangular, tubularconfiguration. To restrain the lower panel of the carton, a transverselyextending retaining finger 112 is placed in the forming station so thatthefinger coincides with a slot between the flaps on the upper panel butengages the flaps on the lower panel.

2. Bottom End Flap Closing Mechanism Referring to FIGS. 1, 5, and 8, themeans provided for closing the bottom end flaps comprise a pair ofcamming arms 114 attached to the shafts of a pair of rotatable aircylinders 116 mounted in front of the forming station 22 so that, as thecylinders pivot inwardly, the camming arms rotate to fold the bottomflaps closed while a pair of elbows 118 located at the outer ends of thecamming arms restrain and square the opened carton (See FIG. 9).

3. Bottom Side Flap Closing Mechanism The means at the forming stationfor closing the bottom side flaps are shown in FIGS. 5 and 8. A pair ofvertically spaced members 120 and 120a are mounted above and below therespective bottom side flaps and are movable toward one another tocontact and partially close the bottom side flaps. The mounting andmovement of the bottom side flap members is essentially the same as theoperation of the case opening mechanism in that the members 120 and 120aare mounted on leaf-shaped members 122 and 122a whose vertical motion isguided by a pair of rods 124 and 124a which in turn are received by apair of guide bushings 126 and 126a mounted on plates 128 and 128aextending between guide rails 104 and 104a. Vertical motion is achievedthrough a pair of two-way air cylinders 130 and 130a vertically mountedbetween the guide rods 124 and 124a in the same manner as the caseopening mechanism.

In order to prevent the opened carton from being dislocated when thecarriage 40 retracts after the case is opened and the flaps are closed,the closing member 120a has a small projection 123 (shown in FIG. 13)attached at its rear end so as to contract the lowermost side flap andhold it while the carriage 40 retracts and the pusher arm 72 is pushedagainst it.

4. Leading Top End Flap Opening and Restraining Mechanisms The packinghorn 132 resides to the rear of the packing station 24 in closeproximity to the travel of the opened carton so that it is necessary toinsure that the leading top end flap is opened sufficiently so as to notbecome entangled with the packing horn. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 9, tothis end a double acting two-way air cylinder 134 is mounted tointersect at an angle with the rear of the forming station 22 so that,as its shaft 136 extends, a knob attached thereto opens the leading topend flap. For retaining the flap in its opened position while the cartonis being transferred to the packing station, a flap flange 140 ismounted on the shaft 142 of a second two-way air cylinder 144 so that,when the shaft is extended the flange will reside parallel to the lineof travel of the carton, the flange pivoting about a point 146 so thatat the desired time the flange may be rotated backwardly to pull theflange away from the packing horn 132.

d. Packing Station Once the carton blank has been formed and its flapshave closed, transfer is accomplished to the packing station 24 from theforming station and the packing station on a pair of rails 150 guidesand closes the bottom flaps in their essentially closed position.Forming of the carton having been accomplished, the mechanismsassociated with the packing station 24 will insure that the carton isproperly positioned to be packed with goods.

1. Carton Positioning Arm In order to position an opened carton in thepacking station 24 for movement onto the packing horn 132, a

end of the packing station on the shaft of a pivotable air cylinder 154so that the arm 152 may swing from a normally horizontally disposedposition to a vertical position in which it contacts the rear of anopened carton and pushes the carton against an end plate 156. Thepivotable cylinder 154 is mounted on the rails 150 in order to permit anadjustment to be made for differently sized cartons.

2. Packing I-Iorn Goods to be packed in the opened cartons will bedirectedfrom the packing equipment to the opened carton through thepacking horn 132 which is generally rectangular with flaredwalls, isattached to the packing equipment, and is positioned to the rear of andadjacent to the packing station 24 as shown in FIG. 1 1. The front endof the horn 132 is of a shape and size to allow it to enter into acarton as the latter is pulled onto the horn. To keep the leading endflap of the carton out of the horn while the carton is being conveyed toits position opposite the horn, the upper wall of the horn terminates ina hinged plate 158 which extends downward into the mouth of the horn,the plate being biased downwardly by a spring biased latch 159 and beingfree to swing out of the horn into a horizontal position to permitunimpeded passage of goods into the carton.

3. Case Transfer Arms In accordance with the invention claimed in myabove-referenced co-pending patent application, means are provided forpushing the carton off the carriage 40 and onto the. packing horn 132.Referring to FIGS. 2 and 10, in the exemplary embodiment disclosedherein this means comprises a pair of case transfer arms 160 which, intheir normal positions, depend vertically near the front of the packingstation 24 to contact the bottom of an opened carton and to move itdirectly onto the packing born, the arms in addition having means tocause them to pivot upwardly and away from the bottom of the cartonafter it has been positioned on the packing horn. The combinedrectilinear and pivoting arm movements are attained by mounting the arms160 on the output shafts of a pivotable air powered actuator 162 andmounting the actuator 162 on the undersides ofa pair of blocks 164whichare slideably mounted upon a pair of rods 166 mounted upon a pairof anchor blocks 165 so as to extend between the front and the rear ofthe packing station. The anchor blocks 165 in turn are slideably mountedon a pair of rails 174 so as to allow the use of various size cartons inthe packing station.

Rotational movement of the case transfer arms 160 is brought about bythe actuator 162. In order to slide the actuator 162 and its associatedcase transfer arms 160 toward and away from the packing horn 132, alinear two-way cylinder 168 is rigidly mounted by means ofa bracket 1 63upon the rods 166 in the position best shown in FIG. 2. The lineartwo-way air cylinder 168 has a shaft 170 which is attached to one of theblocks 164 so that, when the shaft 170 extends, the blocks 164 and hencethe arms 160 are caused to slide toward the packing horn 132.Conversely, when the shaft 170 is retracted the entire assembly is slidaway from the packing horn.

4. Case Lowering Arm Referring to FIGS. and 11, a lowering arm 176 isprovided for causing a packed carton to be placed in an upright positionon a conveyor belt disposed below the packing station 24. The arm itselfis comprised of a flat tongue portion 178 attached at its rear to aright angle plate 180 which acts to support a corner of the openedcarton, these parts being connected under the packing horn 132 so as toallow rotation of the tongue portion 178 from a horizontal positionbelow the packing station to a vertical position adjacent to andcontacting the bottom of an opened case while on the packing horn 132.In order that the tongue portion 178 spring upwardly of its own accordwhen released, a spring 182 is attached to a shaft 184 about which thearm will rotate, so that the arm is biased in an upward direction. Theshaft 184 is supported under the packing horn 132 by inserting it into aplate attached under the packing horn. The spring tension, whilesufficiently large to raise the arm 176 does not prevent the weight of apacked carton from forcing the tongue portion 178 to its horizontalposition under the packing station 24 and above a conveyor. Theconveyor, shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, while not part of the invention,nevertheless provides a means for taking packed cartons away from thepacking station so the case handling apparatus may automatically openand pack another carton.

PNEUMATIC AND ELECTRICAL CONTROLS FOR THE EXEMPLARY APPARATUS I. InGeneral The operation of the carton handling apparatus is sequentiallycontrolled through the use of various pneumatic cylinders. shown in FIG.13, and electrical controls shown in FIG. 14.

Air is selectively gated to initiate extension and retraction of thevarious cylinder shafts by means of solenoid valves 301-307 while vacuumis gated to the carton opening cups 94 by solenoid 300. The aircylinders themselves are of two types, both of which have a twowayaction. The linear cylinders are of the kind where air may be gated toeither side of a shaft head causing it to extend or retract. Thepivotable cylinders are of the type in which, by selectively applyingair to one of two inputs, their shafts may be made to turn through agiven arc.

Relays Rl through R-5, by means of their contact terminals, providedesired holding paths for maintaining power to the various solenoids.The solenoids and relays are located along with miscellaneous controldevices in a control box 186 attached to the frame 26.

Electrical switching to the relays and solenoids is accomplished byeight limit switches LS-l through LS-6 and LSX and LS-Y, the locationsof which are shown in FIGS. 1 and 13. Supplementing the limit switchesare pressure switches PS-ll6, PS-l54 and PS-l68. These switches are ofthe type which become actuated by sensing a pressure difference betweentwo points. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, each is installed in one of theair lines to its respective cylinder so as to actuate when the pressurein the line reaches a desired magnitude relative to atmosphericpressure. This pressure occurs when the associated cylinder shaftreaches the limit of its travel and the pressure in the cylinderapproaches the pressure of the air source.

2. Detailed Description and Operation The operation of the apparatuswill be best understood by following a carton as it passes through theapparatus-Referring to FIG. 6, the feeder mechanism 38 is adjusted toreceive the desired size of carton blanks, a stack of which arehorizontally disposed between the staves 42 so as to be urged by gravityto the loading station 20 where the bottom carton blank will besupported partially by the guide brackets 50 (not shown in FIG. 6) andpartially by the carriage bed 54 in preparation for being transferredout.

a. Prepare For Feeding Carton Blank Into Forming Station and OpenedCarton Into Packing Station Referring to FIG. 13, and, assuming no casehas been left in the apparatus, the carton transfer air cylinder 60 isretracted. Consequently, the case transfer carriage 40 is also retractedso that its rear portion is under the loading station 20 and its forwardportion extends into the forming station 22.

The forming station mechanisms are in a position to receive an unopenedcarton. The carton opening cylinder 108 has its shaft 110 retracted,thereby causing the vacuum cups 94 to be fully withdrawn. The bottom endflap cylinders 116 have the bottom end flap closing arms 114 rotatedoutwardly toward the front of the forming station 22. The bottom sideflap closing cylinders 130 and 130a and the leading top end flap closingcylinder 134 (shown in FIGS. 2 and 9) are in their retracted positions.Referring to FIG. 2, the flap flange cylinder 144 has its shaft 142extended so as to place the flap flange 140 in a position where it willhold the top leading flapopen.

Referring again to FIG. 13, the packing station is now ready to receivean opened carton for packing. The carton positioning cylinder 154 haspivoted the carton positioning arm 152 upwardly to a horizontal positionso that an opened carton may pass under it. The carton transfer arms 160are rotated downwardly to their vertical position by the pivotablecylinder 162, and the case transfer cylinder 168 is retracted to holdthe arms near the front of the packing station. The lowering arm 176 isin its lowered position so the tongue portion 178 is disposedhori'zontally,*below the packing station 24 and in a position to allowan opened carton to pass. b. Feed Carton Blank Into Forming StationReferring to FIG. 14, power for the apparatus is provided in the form of110-117 volts AC and is supplied by means of a-pair of bus lines 410 and420 through switch 500. The operating sequence is initiated by thetransfer of an unopened carton upon the carriage 40 from the loadingstation 20 to the forming station 22.

Referring to FIGS. 6, 7, and 14, the carriage 40 is moved out of theloading station 20 by pushing a cycle/start switch 350 to energize andactuate solenoid 301, thereby gating air to extend the shaft 86 ofcylinder 60 connected to the carriage. A holding path to solenoid 301 isestablished through leg 503 and the normally closed contacts of PS-l68because, as power is applied to solenoid 301, it is also applied torelay R-l, closing its normally open contacts 262 and 264. Referring toFIG. 6, as the carriage 40 moves forward, the anchor plate 70 contactsthe rear of the carton blank so as to'cause the carton to move with it.c. Initiate Carton Blank Forming Operations Referring to FIGS. and 7,when the carriage is fully extended, the unopened carton will lie in theforming station 22 under the vacuum cups 94, which are in theirretracted positions, ready to be opened. The length of travel of thecarriage 40 determines the distance the carton blank will betransferred, but the stop block 92 is positioned in the forming station22 so as to contact a leading edge and insure the carton does not movetoo far. The carton is opened-by gripping its upper panel and pullingthe carton upward into an essentially rectangular tubular configuration,with the carton lying on its side panel in the forming station 22, withits bottom flaps open and pointing toward the front of the formingstation. Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, the vacuum cups 94 are loweredwhen the movement of the carriage 40 out of the loading station 20causes the limit switch LS-2 to be actuated, closing its normally openedcontacts 261. Through leg 503, the normally closed contacts 263 of1.8-5, and the normally closed contacts 274 and 276 of relay R-3,solenoid 302 is enabled, gating air to cylinder 108 to extend its shaft(shown in FIGS. 5 and 7). At the same time vacuum is applied to thevacuum cups 94 through the actuation of solenoid 300.

When the cups have become fully extended, a washer 188 on one of theguide rods 98 (FIG. 13) actuates LS-5. This momentarily opens the.normally closed contacts 263 and disables solenoid 302, causing air tobe gated to cylinder 108 so that it will retract to withdraw the cups 94which have gripped the upper panel as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. At thesame time, the normally open contacts 265 of limit switch LS-S aremomentarily closed and, through the normally closed contacts 273 oflimit switch LS-l, relay R-3 is actuated. The relay R-3 remains actuatedthrough its holding path which is established through leg 505 and itsnormally open, now closed, contacts 275 and 277. The actuation of relayR-3 opens its normally closed contacts 274 and 276, disabling the cups94 from descending again until relay R-3 drops out prior to the timewhen another opening sequence is to occur.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, as the cups 94 lift the upper panel awayfrom the bottom of the forming station 22, the retaining fingers 1 12act to restrain the bottom panel of the unopened carton so that openingbegins. As the upper panel is lifted, the rear panel will contact theangled break plate 111 so that the rear panel is forced forward, causingthe carton to have an essentially rectangular tubular configuration whenthe cups are fully withdrawn. The withdrawal of the cups allows a secondwasher 190 to actuate limit switch LS-4. This indicates that the cartonis fully opened and initiates the bottom flap closing sequence.

In the bottom flap closing sequence, the pivotable cylinders 116 swingthe camming arms 114 inwardly to close the bottom end flaps. Thewithdrawal of the cups 94 and the resulting actuation of limit switchLS-4 closes its normally open contacts 251 in leg 506 to enable solenoid303 through the normally closed contacts 267 of limit switch LS-6 andthe normally open, now closed, contacts 278 and 280 of relay R-3 to gateair to cylinder 116. As the arms 114 cam inwardly and close the bottomend flaps, the elbows 118 contact the forward and rear panels of theopened carton so as to square it in the forming station 22. The forwardelbow 118 acts to restrain the forward panel while the top leading flapis opened as described below.

After the bottom end flaps are closed, the next-step is to close thebottom side flaps and to fold forward the leading top flap. Referring toFIGS. 13 and 14, when the bottom end flap closing arms 114 becomepivoted inwardly, the pressure switch PS-l16 in air line 116a isactuated. Line 1160 supplies air to cylinder 116 to cause its shaft torotate the arms 114 inwardly so as to fold the end flaps. When the shaftis fully rotated, pressure builds up in the line, actuating PS-116 whichcloses its contacts. This allows power to be applied through leg 507 tosolenoid 304, gating air to cylinders 130 and 130a so that the closingbars 120 and 120a move in from the top and bottom respectively tocontact their respective bottom side flaps and partially close them.This can be best seen in FIG. 8. At the same time, solenoid 304 alsogates air to cylinder 134, extending its shaft 136 to open the topleading flap as shown in FIG. 9. A holding path is established in leg508, since at the same time that solenoid 304 is actuated power is alsoapplied to relay R-4, closing its normally open contacts 286 and 288.The path is completed through the normally closed contacts 253 of LS-3.

At this point, the carton has been fully opened and its bottom flaps areclosed, completing the functions to be performed in the forming station.The next step is to initiate transfer of the carton to the packingstation 24. (1. Transfer Formed Carton Into Packing Station To provide aclear path for the carton transfer, it is necessary to withdraw thebottom end flap closing arms 114. To this end a third washer 192 islocated at the top of one of the bottom side flap closing member guiderods to actuate the limit switch LS-6 disabling leg 506 through theopening of the normally closed limit switch contacts 267. Actuation ofthe limit switch LS-6 disables solenoid 303 shutting off air pressure inline 116a and gating air pressure to air line 116b. The shaft of thebottom end flap cylinders 116 swings the arms 114 away from the cartonto remove the elbows from their contact with the forward and rear panelsof the carton. Since pressure to line 1160 is shut off, PS-116 in theair line deactuates and opens, disabling leg 507; however, power ismaintained to relay R-4 and solenoid 304 through leg 508 as describedabove. In order to complete the transfer of a carton, the carriage 40 isretracted so as to position the pusher arm 72 against the rear panel ofthe carton as the carriage moves forward. Because the arm 72 is cammedunder the opened carton in the forming station 22 when the carriage isretracted, the bottom side flap closing members 120 and 120a remainextended in order that a projection 123 which is attached to thetrailing edge of the lower member 1200 (shown in FIG. 13), will contactthe rear of its flap so as to prevent the carton from being dislocatedby the cammed arm 72 as the carriage retracts.

Referring to'FIG. l4, retraction of the carriage 40 depends on thecompletion of certain initial operations in a series of operations inthe packing station 24 which are performed concurrently with the openingsequence that has just been described. If these initial packingoperations, which are performed upon the carton in the packing stationhave been completed (these operations having yet to be described),pressure switch PS-l68 will be actuated and its opened contacts willdisable leg 503 and will cut power from the solenoid 301. With its powercut off, solenoid 301 will gate air so that the shaft 86 of cylinder 60is retracted, taking the carriage 40 with it.

To initiate forward motion of the carriage so as to transfer an unopenedcarton as well as the opened carton, normally it is not necessary toagain push the cycle/start switch 350 because the solenoid 301 will beenabled through leg 502. The normally opened contacts 285 of LS-6 areclosed due to the closing member 120 being in its extended position,LS-l was actuated and its normally opened contacts 283 were closed whenthe carriage was retracted, and the lowering arm 176 is in its downposition so that the normally open contacts 287 of LS-X are also closed.As described above, solenoid 301 is again held through leg 503 since atthis time PS-168 has closed as a result of the completion of all of thepacking station operations.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, as the carriage 40 moves forward, the pusherarm 72 contacts the rear of the opened case in the forming station 22and causes the carton to be transferred into the packing station 24.Referring to FIG. 9, the flap flange 140 is in a position parallel tothe line of travel of the forward leading top flap so that the forwardleading top flap is maintained in its opened position. Additionally, ascan be seen from FIG. 11, the lip 158 prevents the leading top flap fromentering the horn, the flap coming to rest in a position downstream ofthe packing horn.

Although the extension of the closing members and 120a was necessary soas to maintain the bottom side flaps of the carton which is in theforming station in a closed position as the carton moves from theforming station, for the feeding of the carton into the forming stationit is necessary that the closing members 120 and 120a be retracted.Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, as the carriage moves forward itmomentarily actuates LS-3. This opens the normally closed contacts 253of limit switch LS-3 in leg 508 sufficiently long to disable solenoid304 which, when disabled, gates air to cylinder and 130a in such amanner as to withdraw the closing members 120 and 120a. Although theleading top flap cylinder 134 opened the flap and maintained it in itsopened position during the initial part of the carton transfer, itsshaft 136 is also withdrawn for the case forming sequence by thedisabling of the solenoid 304 through the opening of limit switchcontacts253 of LS-3. With the closing members 120 and 120a and the flapopening shaft 136 all withdrawn, the forming station is in a conditionto accept another unopened carton for forming.

e. Prepare Carton in Packing Station to Receive Goods The operationswhich are now performed on a carton in the forming station 22 have beendescribed. The operations to be performed on the carton which istransferred into the packing station 24 are to allow the carton to bepacked. First, although the opened carton has been moved into thepacking station 24, it must be properly positioned in front of thepacking horn 132. The carton positioning arm 152 rotates down and pushesthe opened carton against the end plate 156. This step is initiated asthe carton transfer carriage 40 becomes fully extended, and actuatesLS-2, closing the normally opened contacts 261 in leg 503. In additionto enabling the desired cylinders in the forming station, the closing ofcontacts 261 also enables the solenoid 305 to gate air to line 154a tocause cylinder 154 to pivot the carton transfer arm 152 down against therear panel of the opened carton in the packing station.

Once having been positioned in front of the packing born, the openedcarton is transferred onto the packing horn. Referring to FIGS. 10, 13,and 14, when the carton transfer arm 152 becomes pivoted fully downward,the pressure switch PS-l54 in line 154a becomes actuated and its nowclosed contacts through leg 504 and the normally closed contacts 290 ofLS-Y cause solenoid 306 to be actuated. A holding path is established,since relay R-2 is actuated, closing its normally open contacts 266 and268. The enabling of solenoid 306 causes two things to happensimultaneously. Referring to FIG. 9, air is gated to cylinder 144,retracting its shaft 142 and causing the flap flange 140 to withdraw toa position away from the packing horn 132. This allows the rear top flapto come between the retracted flap flange 140 and the trailing wall ofthe packing horn. At the same time, air is gated through cylinder 168extending its shaft 170 to move the support block 164 along the rods 166in the direction of the arrow 172. This causes the arms 160, which areattached below, to contact the bottom of the opened carton in order tohold its bottom flaps closed and to push the carton onto the horn. Thebottom flaps were retained in their closed configuration during thetransfer of the carton from the forming station 22 to the packingstation 24 by the guide bracket 148 adjustably mounted between theforming station and the packing station. The normally closed terminals282 and 284 of relay R-4 in leg 503a and the normally closed contacts270 and 272 of relay R-2 are connected in parallel with PS-168 to insurethat any flutter in air line 168a during the time that cylinder 168 isextended does not cause leg 503 to be disabled and withdraw thecarriage. f. Prepare Apparatus For-Next Carton Opening and TransferSequence Once the opened cartonhas been transferred onto the packinghorn 132, the carton is almost ready to be packed. Before the carton ispacked, the apparatus is caused to prepare itself for another cartonopening and transfer sequence. As a part of this sequence, the carriagemay be retracted, since the carton is supported on the packing horn 132by the case transfer arms 160, and therefore the carriage 40 is nolonger required for support. The retraction of the carriage 40 is conditioned on the case transfer arms 160 becoming fully extended toward thehorn 132 by the shaft 170. Pressure switch PS-l68 actuates upon fullextension of the shaft because it is located in air line 168a whichsupplies air to extend the shaft. When PS-168 actuates, its contactsopen to disable leg 503 and remove power from the solenoid 301'. Thisgates air to cylinder 60 so that retraction of its shaft 86 withdrawsthe carriage 40.

As the carriage 40 retracts, it deactuates LS-2 and the resultantopening of the contact 261 disables-solenoid 305. This gates air tocylinder 154 through air line 154b, causing the carton positioning arm152 to be raised. Since air line 1540 has its air supply cut off, PS-l54opens and wont close again until LS-2 is actuated to close its contacts261.

Thus, the full extension of the case transfer'arms 160 toward the horn132 serves to initiate the retraction of the carriage 40 enabling thecase transfer sequence. It also serves indirectly to initiate theraising of the case lowering arm 176 to its vertical position in orderthat it be ready to perform its function when the carton on the horn hasbeen filled. The latter function is performed by well known componentswhich are therefore not shown. They include a latching electromagnet, aposition sensing switch, and a delay device.

Briefly, the lowering arm 176 is retained in its horizontal positionagainst the force of its biasing spring 182 by a latching electromagnetwhich is deenergized to release the arm 176 into its vertical position.The full extension of the arms 160 toward the horn 132 is sensed by aposition sensing switch in the path of the carton as it is pushed ontothe horn 132 and electrically connected in series with the coil of thelatching electromagnet. In order to make sure that the lowering arm 176is not released until after the carriage 40 has been retracted, a timedelay device is connected between the carton sensing switch and thelatching electromagnet. The delay is designed to open the circuit to thelatching electromagnet a short time after the carriage has cleared thelowering arm 176.

Once the carriage 40 has been retracted and the case lowering arm 176has been raised into its position against the case upon the horn 132,the carton transfer arms 160 may be moved away from the bottom of thecarton so that they will not interfere when the carton is lowered.

Pullingthe arms out of the way is initiated when the lowering arm 176rises to its vertical position where it actuates the limit switch LS-Y.The normally closed contacts 290 of LS-Y in leg 504 open and disable thesolenoid 306, gating air to line 168b and causing the cylinder 168 toretract and to pull the arms 160 rectilinearly away from the bottom ofthe case toward the front of the packing station 24.

The gating of air to line 168k shuts off air in line 168a, dropping thepressure in line 168a. This deactivates PS-168 and closes its contacts.The closing of PS-168 provides the holding path when the power is latersupplied to solenoid 301 and relay R2 through leg 502. At the same time,the normally open contacts 292 of LS-Y in leg 509 close and complete apath for current to solenoid 307 which then gates air to cylinder 162,causing the case transfer arms 160 to swing up to a horizontal position.At the same time that solenoid 307 is actuated the relay R5 is alsoenergized and, through its normally opened contacts 294 and 296 and thenormally closed contacts 298 of limit switch LS-X in leg 510, holds thepower to the solenoid.

g. Pack Goods and Remove Carton The carton having been positioned uponthe horn 132, it is next packed by goods shoved into the carton throughthe horn. The weight of the canned goods in the carton acts to force thelowering arm 176 down against the bias of the spring 182 so as to lowerthe carton onto the conveyor. The lowering of the carton actuates LS-Xand opens its normally closed contacts 298, disabling solenoid 307 andallowing the case transfer arms 160 to swing down to their initialvertical position.

' This lowering sequence also automatically enables the next cartonhandling sequence to begin, because the lowering of the transfer arm 176and the actuation of limit switch LS-X close the normally openedcontacts 281 on leg 502, again enabling solenoid 301 and gating air tothe carriage 40.

From the foregoing it can be seen that there has been described a newand improved carton handling apparatus. The cartons are automaticallyremoved from a stack and opened. Their bottom flaps are automaticallyclosed and the cartons are moved to a subsequent station where they maybe packed and placed in a position for transfer to a downstreamposition. The sequence of opening the cartons, closing the flaps, andmoving them on to the subsequent station is completely automatic, andsince it is sequentially controlled, provides optimum operating speedsfor handling cartons.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for forming foldable cartons received as flat carton blankscomprising:

a. means for maintaining a plurality of said carton blanks in a stack;

b. means for carrying the first carton blank from said stack to aforming station;

c. means at said forming station for gripping a side panel of saidcarton blank and pulling it rectilinearly;

d. means at said forming station for restraining the opposite side panelof said carton blank to force it to open into a tubular rectangularconfiguration;

e. a pair of arms, each having a camming surface and terminating attheir free ends in an elbow; and

f. means for moving said arms between an open position in which theyextend adjacent to but spaced from the open bottom end flaps, through aninter mediate position in which their camming surfaces move against andgradually fold said bottom end flaps toward one another, and a closedposition in which said end flaps are held closed by said arms and theend panels of said carton are firmly grasped between, and are squaredby, said elbows.

2. Apparatus for forming foldable cartons received as flat carton blankscomprising:

a. means for maintaining a plurality of said carton blanks in a stack;

b. means for carrying the first carton blank from said stack to aforming station; I

c. means at said forming station for gripping a side panel of saidcarton blank and pulling it rectilinearly;

(1. means at said forming station for restraining the opposite sidepanel of said carton blank to force it to open into a tubularrectangular configuration;

e. a pair of arms, each having a camming surface and terminating attheir face ends in an elbow, said pair of arms being pivotally mountedfor turning upon axes spaced apart by a distance which is shorter thanthe length of said carton and wherein the cam surface and elbow of eachsaid arm form a right angle; and

f. means for moving said arms between an open position in which theyextend adjacent to but spaced from the open bottom end flaps, through anintermediate position in which their. camming surfaces move against andgradually fold said bottom end flaps toward one another, and a closedposition in which said end flaps are held closed by said arms and theend panels of said carton are firmly grasped between, and are squaredby, said elbows.

3. Apparatus for forming foldable cartons received as flat carton blankscomprising:

a. means for maintaining a plurality of said carton blanks in a stack;

b. a carriage mounted for reciprocating movement to carry the firstcarton blank from said stack to a forming station;

c. means for moving said carriage with a carton blank upon it from aretracted position under said stack to a forward position in saidforming station and for returning said carriage to its retractedposition to receive another carton blank from said stack;

d. means defining a subsequent station downstream from said formingstation;

e. a portion of said carriage extending into said forming station whensaid carriage is retracted;

f. spring loaded latch means on said carriage portion for engaging theback of a formed carton in said forming station. said carriage portionmoving with an engaged, formed carton on it to said subsequent stationwhen said carriage is in its forward position;

g. means at said forming station for gripping a side panel of saidcarton blank and pulling it rectilinearly;

5 h. means at said forming station for restraining the opposite sidepanel of said carton blank;

i. said spring loaded latch being retractable into the body of saidcarriage, said latch being retracted by being pulled against and underthe opened carton in said forming station when said carriage isretracted; and

j. means for closing the bottom side flaps including a pair of spacedmembers respectively mounted on opposite sides of said bottom side flapsand movable toward one another from a first position out of contact withsaid side flaps to a second position at least partially closing saidside flaps, one of said members having a projection for engaging in saidsecond position the rear edge of a flap of said carton so as to preventsaid carton from being dislocated when said latch is pulled against it.

4. Apparatus for forming foldable cartons received as flat cartonblanks, each having a pair of side panels, end panels, bottom end flaps,top end flaps, bottom side flaps, and top side flaps comprising:

a. means defining a loading station, a forming station, and a subsequentstation spaced successively downstream along a common axis;

b. means at said loading station for maintaining a plurality of cartonblanks in a vertical stack wherein the carton blanks lie horizontallywith their side flaps extending parallel to said axis;

0. an elongate carriage mounted for reciprocation along said axisbetween a first position in which it extends along the bottom of saidloading and forming stations and a second position in which it extendsalong the bottom of said forming and subsequent stations; r

d. means upon said carriage at its upstream end fo engaging the bottomcarton blank in said stack so that it is transferred into said formingstation when said carriage moves downstream;

e. means at said forming station for lifting the upper side panel ofsaid carton blank while restraining its trailing end panel so as toforce said carton blank to open into a tubular rectangularconfiguration; means at said forming station for closing the bottom sideflaps including a pair of arms mounted for reciprocation in a commonvertical plane against said side flaps;

g. means at said forming station for closing the bottom end flapsincluding a second pair of arms mounted for movement against said endflaps in a horizontal plane and having cam surfaces for graduallybending said end flaps toward one another into a fully closed position;

h. means upon said carriage intermediate its ends for engaging theformed carton in said forming station so that it is transferred to saidsubsequent station when said carriage moves downstream; and

. said second pair of arms each having elbows extending from said camsurfaces for squaring the sides of said carton when said end flaps havebeen fully closed.

5. Apparatus for forming foldable cartons received as flat cartonblanks, each having a pair of side panels,

end panels, bottom end flaps, top end flaps, bottom side flaps, and topside flaps comprising:

a. means defining a loading station, a forming station, and a subsequentstation spaced successively downstream along a common axis;

b. means at said loading station for maintaining a plurality of cartonblanks in a vertical stack wherein the carton blanks lie horizontallywith their side flaps extending parallel to said axis;

c. an elongate carriage mounted for reciprocation along said axisbetween a first position in which it extends along the bottom of saidloading and forming stations and a second position in which it extendsalong the bottom of said forming and subsequent stations;

d. means upon said carriage at its upstream end for engaging the bottomcarton blank in said stack so that it is transferred into said formingstation when said carriage moves downstream;

e. means at said forming station for lifting the upper side panel ofsaid carton blank while restraining its trailing end panel so as toforce said carton blank to open into a tubular rectangularconfiguration;

f. means at said forming station for closing the bot-- tom side flapsincluding a pair of arms mounted for reciprocation in a common verticalplane against said side flaps;

g. means at said forming station for closing the bottom end flapsincluding a second pair of arms j. said pair of arms for closing thebottom side flaps are vertically spaced members respectively mountedabove and below respective ones of said bottom side flaps and movabletoward one another from a first position out of contact with said sideflaps to a second position at least partially closing said side flaps,one of said members having a projection for engaging in said secondposition the rear edge of a side flap of said carton to prevent saidcarton from being dislocated when said latch is pulled against it.

6. Apparatus in accordance with claim 5 wherein said latch is springloaded and is retracted by being pulled against and under the openedcarton in said forming station when said carriage moves upstream.

1. Apparatus for forming foldable cartons received as flat carton blankscomprising: a. means for maintaining a plurality of said carton blanksin a stack; b. means for carrying the first carton blank from said stackto a forming station; c. means at said forming station for gripping aside panel of said carton blank and pulling it rectilinearly; d. meansat said forming station for restraining the opposite side panel of saidcarton blank to force it to open into a tubular rectangularconfiguration; e. a pair of arms, each having a camming surface andterminating at their free ends in an elbow; and f. means for moving saidarms between an open position in which they extend adjacent to butspaced from the open bottom end flaps, through an intermediate positionin which their camming surfaces move against and gradually fold saidbottom end flaps toward one another, and a closed position in which saidend flaps are held closed by said arms and the end panels of said cartonare firmly grasped between, and are squared by, said elbows. 2.Apparatus for forming foldable cartons received as flaT carton blankscomprising: a. means for maintaining a plurality of said carton blanksin a stack; b. means for carrying the first carton blank from said stackto a forming station; c. means at said forming station for gripping aside panel of said carton blank and pulling it rectilinearly; d. meansat said forming station for restraining the opposite side panel of saidcarton blank to force it to open into a tubular rectangularconfiguration; e. a pair of arms, each having a camming surface andterminating at their face ends in an elbow, said pair of arms beingpivotally mounted for turning upon axes spaced apart by a distance whichis shorter than the length of said carton and wherein the cam surfaceand elbow of each said arm form a right angle; and f. means for movingsaid arms between an open position in which they extend adjacent to butspaced from the open bottom end flaps, through an intermediate positionin which their camming surfaces move against and gradually fold saidbottom end flaps toward one another, and a closed position in which saidend flaps are held closed by said arms and the end panels of said cartonare firmly grasped between, and are squared by, said elbows. 3.Apparatus for forming foldable cartons received as flat carton blankscomprising: a. means for maintaining a plurality of said carton blanksin a stack; b. a carriage mounted for reciprocating movement to carrythe first carton blank from said stack to a forming station; c. meansfor moving said carriage with a carton blank upon it from a retractedposition under said stack to a forward position in said forming stationand for returning said carriage to its retracted position to receiveanother carton blank from said stack; d. means defining a subsequentstation downstream from said forming station; e. a portion of saidcarriage extending into said forming station when said carriage isretracted; f. spring loaded latch means on said carriage portion forengaging the back of a formed carton in said forming station, saidcarriage portion moving with an engaged, formed carton on it to saidsubsequent station when said carriage is in its forward position; g.means at said forming station for gripping a side panel of said cartonblank and pulling it rectilinearly; h. means at said forming station forrestraining the opposite side panel of said carton blank; i. said springloaded latch being retractable into the body of said carriage, saidlatch being retracted by being pulled against and under the openedcarton in said forming station when said carriage is retracted; and j.means for closing the bottom side flaps including a pair of spacedmembers respectively mounted on opposite sides of said bottom side flapsand movable toward one another from a first position out of contact withsaid side flaps to a second position at least partially closing saidside flaps, one of said members having a projection for engaging in saidsecond position the rear edge of a flap of said carton so as to preventsaid carton from being dislocated when said latch is pulled against it.4. Apparatus for forming foldable cartons received as flat cartonblanks, each having a pair of side panels, end panels, bottom end flaps,top end flaps, bottom side flaps, and top side flaps comprising: a.means defining a loading station, a forming station, and a subsequentstation spaced successively downstream along a common axis; b. means atsaid loading station for maintaining a plurality of carton blanks in avertical stack wherein the carton blanks lie horizontally with theirside flaps extending parallel to said axis; c. an elongate carriagemounted for reciprocation along said axis between a first position inwhich it extends along the bottom of said loading and forming stationsand a second position in which it extends along the bottom of saidforming and subsequent stations; d. means upon said carriage at itsupstream end For engaging the bottom carton blank in said stack so thatit is transferred into said forming station when said carriage movesdownstream; e. means at said forming station for lifting the upper sidepanel of said carton blank while restraining its trailing end panel soas to force said carton blank to open into a tubular rectangularconfiguration; f. means at said forming station for closing the bottomside flaps including a pair of arms mounted for reciprocation in acommon vertical plane against said side flaps; g. means at said formingstation for closing the bottom end flaps including a second pair of armsmounted for movement against said end flaps in a horizontal plane andhaving cam surfaces for gradually bending said end flaps toward oneanother into a fully closed position; h. means upon said carriageintermediate its ends for engaging the formed carton in said formingstation so that it is transferred to said subsequent station when saidcarriage moves downstream; and i. said second pair of arms each havingelbows extending from said cam surfaces for squaring the sides of saidcarton when said end flaps have been fully closed.
 5. Apparatus forforming foldable cartons received as flat carton blanks, each having apair of side panels, end panels, bottom end flaps, top end flaps, bottomside flaps, and top side flaps comprising: a. means defining a loadingstation, a forming station, and a subsequent station spaced successivelydownstream along a common axis; b. means at said loading station formaintaining a plurality of carton blanks in a vertical stack wherein thecarton blanks lie horizontally with their side flaps extending parallelto said axis; c. an elongate carriage mounted for reciprocation alongsaid axis between a first position in which it extends along the bottomof said loading and forming stations and a second position in which itextends along the bottom of said forming and subsequent stations; d.means upon said carriage at its upstream end for engaging the bottomcarton blank in said stack so that it is transferred into said formingstation when said carriage moves downstream; e. means at said formingstation for lifting the upper side panel of said carton blank whilerestraining its trailing end panel so as to force said carton blank toopen into a tubular rectangular configuration; f. means at said formingstation for closing the bottom side flaps including a pair of armsmounted for reciprocation in a common vertical plane against said sideflaps; g. means at said forming station for closing the bottom end flapsincluding a second pair of arms mounted for movement against said endflaps in a horizontal plane and having cam surfaces for graduallybending said end flaps toward one another into a fully closed position;h. means upon said carriage intermediate its ends for engaging theformed carton in said forming station so that it is transferred to saidsubsequent station when said carriage moves downstream; i. said meansfor engaging the formed carton in said forming station being a latchretractable into the body of said carriage, said latch being retractedwhen said carriage moves upstream; and j. said pair of arms for closingthe bottom side flaps are vertically spaced members respectively mountedabove and below respective ones of said bottom side flaps and movabletoward one another from a first position out of contact with said sideflaps to a second position at least partially closing said side flaps,one of said members having a projection for engaging in said secondposition the rear edge of a side flap of said carton to prevent saidcarton from being dislocated when said latch is pulled against it. 6.Apparatus in accordance with claim 5 wherein said latch is spring loadedand is retracted by being pulled against and under the opened carton insaid forming station when said carriage moves upstream.